Koh Phangan Party Safety

ROOMS: Accommodations in Haad-rin (& across most of the island) become full about 3 days BEFORE the Full Moon Party and most do not pre-book, so it's best arrive a few days early on the island, or pre-book a room on-line. Don't worry if you can't get accommodations in Haad-rin, as the North and West of the island have many nice places to stay, good access roads and all of them taxi down to the full moon party as the island is only 30Km long!

Please do not email us about rooms as we don't get involved with accommodations!

Be careful with room pre-bookings without payment- if you email an accommodation booking and have not paid in full or paid an agreed deposit with your booking, many people arrive and find out that it has already been given to the first customer who arrived with cash! (even if they recieved an email stating they had a booking!). There are only a few thousand rooms on the island and up to 20,000 people are here for the party, so many have to leave to search for accommodations on neighbouring islands!

ECO: The island has a very fragile eco-system, and to reduce waste and consumption 'Phangan Green Cross Conservation' has put recycling and waste containers in Haad-rin for everyone to use. Water is also a valuable commodity, as there are only two wet seasons of no more than two months in the year! We also appreciate that you do not leave plastic or glass bottles on the beach!

 THEFT: The best advise is not to carry ANY valuables on to Haad-rin beach at night-time, especially visa cards, large amounts of money, expensive cameras, passports etc. - always put valuables in a safe deposit box. The best plan is to carry around 2,000Baht (enough for quite a few drinks!) in a pocket and not to carry shoulder bags or purses as they are often left under beach tables after a few Thai whiskey buckets or pulled from you by someone wanting its belongings ! There are reports of pickpockets and bag snatchers the days and nights leading up to every Full Moon!

Please use safety boxes, or give your belongings to the hotel reception to keep in their safe, as rooms across the island around the week of Full Moon do get broken into!  Remember thieves know you are on Haadrin beach at night times so your rooms are easy prey for those here to spoil your fun!

MOTORBIKE, ATV, JEEP & JETSKI RENTALS: Many roads are mountainous, potholed in places and very sandy and many roads on the East side of the island are unsurfaced jungle tracks! Motorcycle rental users often leave the island with the famous 'Koh Phangan tattoo! ( i.e. injury scar!) and an excessive repairs bill!.  We advise you NOT to rent motorbikes, ATV's, Jeeps or JetSki's as they have no insurance and as they take your passport for security any costs for scratches or damage will most probably be excessive and expensive!!

It is illegal to ride a moped or motorcycle in Thailand without a Full International Motorcycle Licence! As they are rented with no insurance, if you are involved in a collision then you have no legal rights and costs for damage to vehicles or persons will be high!! There is a new helmet law on Koh Phangan and there are many Police road blocks to fine you for not wearing one! You have been warned! 

ATV's are not legal on public roads in Thailand and there are no repair shops on Koh Phangan which means any damage you incur will also include costs for transportation for repair off the island, loss of earnings and cost of damage!  This could amount to in excess of 100,000 baht for small damage!  Do NOT rent ATV's in Thailand - you are not legal and if you are involved in any accidents with other parties you will be charged massive amounts of money as you are breaking the law by driving them on public roads!

Thailand has recently gained massive international publicity about Jet-ski scams.  We advise you NOT to rent jet-ski's in anywhere in Thailand - payments for simple scratches are often in excess of 100,000baht and we have heard of cases in excess of 400,000baht on Haadrin beach!  You have no insurance and Jet-ski's are in fact illegal to be rented in Thailand, so  if you are involved in a collision the fines can be massive as you are in fact breaking the law by renting one! Jet-ski's are not legal on public beaches in Thailand and there are no repair shops on Koh Phangan which means any damage you incur will also include costs for transportation for repair off the island, loss of earnings and cost of damage! 

ALCOHOL: Most beers in Thailand are generally 6.4% and the Thai whiskey & Red Bull Full Moon 'buckets' can be mindblowing!

So keep yourslef in control and limit the amount of redbull and whiskey buckets you drink as the Redbull they sell here is illegal in the EU as it is a concentrate and contains about ten times the amount of the redbull sold in the west! 

Showing respect to the Thai locals is also very important, especially during Full Moon night, when there are crowds of people and sometimes too much jolity and too many whiskey buckets! Do NOT get involved in a confrontation with a Thai person - you will lose!


DRUGS: The Thai government introduced a new anti-drugs law across Thailand and in 2005 there were 3,000 major drug dealers and users arrested and many given the death sentence.

The Thai government is now promoting the image of Koh Phangan as a nature island of outstanding beauty and in doing so, is looking to remove the elements of excess attached to the Full Moon party.

Bangkok Post newspaper in September 2009 published a full front page news story stating that the Thai police and Government officials will be focusing their efforts on Koh Phangan and the Full Moon party to stop drugs on the island.

Beware, during the days leading up to the Black Moon, Half Moon and Full Moon parties on Koh Phangan the Police introduce road blocks on all major roads across the island to search ALL persons for drugs - whether you are in a taxi or on a motorbike you WILL be searched! - read the statement below as the consequences are dramatic!

OFFICIAL STATEMENT:

“Please be aware that the default position on Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Koh Samui for MINOR drug infringements (i.e. Cannabis) with immediate effect is up to 84 days in/out of Jail on bail, a large fine or Jail Sentence (depending on drug quantity) & deportation at your cost.  Bail may be granted by a court approved bonder of which there are only two on Koh Samui.” 

Upon arrest you may be offerred a Thai translator who may ask you to sign a bail form.  This document is normally written in Thai and should you not sign this correctly (remember it is written in Thai!) then your bail money will not be returned.

For small amounts of cannabis bail money can be in the region of 60,000baht - for more serious offenses/quantities this amount can vastly increase!  If you do not have this amount of money then you may have to transfer money from family/friends via western union.

If you be arrested, then you should be entitled to a phone call before any local translator is appointed - Liz Luxen is a professional translator http://www.liz-luxen.com/  who is based on Koh Samui but works for many embassies across Thailand.  

It should also be noted that for more serious Class A drugs (i.e. Cocaine & Ecstasy) the two most recent cases of westerners caught on Koh Phangan & Koh Samui received 21 and 27 years in a Thai jail. 

If you don't believe this, then do a youtube search on 'Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand' Episode One to see what happened to a English Teenager caught with Cannabis at the Full Moon Party recently.

DRUGS ARE ILLEGAL in Thailand – Do NOT use them!

POLICE: The main Police Station is on the Government Office Road out of Thong Sala. (077 377 114 or Tourist Police 077 421 281).  All theft or damage reports must be made here. Haadrin has a small Police Station but nothing is processed here so always go to Thong Sala. 

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES: The main Government hospital is about 2 Km North of Thong Sala. There are many private clinics and private hospitals on the island but be aware that many of the 'doctors' have limited knowledge and the costs are extremely high. Even if you have insurance our advice is go to the main Government hospital outside Thong Sala or if it is something serious go to Koh Samui to one of the main hospitals.  There are also many Clinics and Pharmacies on the island but be aware that many of the 'nurses' running these have no medical experience and the charges can be high – always check the name on the internet what medications they give you! 
 

IF YOU ARE ARRESTED: TRANSLATION SERVICES & LAWYERS: If you are arrested for any offences on these islands then you can contact http://www.liz-luxen.com/ for professional Western/Thai translation services  and/or check the British Embassy Website for a list of approved professional lawyers.